Indian detention of UAE plane a case of spying, says Chinese expert

Published: Sunday, September 13, 2009, 22:02 [IST]

Subscribe to Oneindia News

Beijing, Sep 13 (ANI): A Chinese military expert Dai Xu has accused India of "spying" on Chinese military, saying that India violated diplomatic rights by inspecting a China-bound cargo plane of UAE's Air Force, which was detained by the Indian Security agencies in Kolkata after it was found carrying huge cache of arms and ammunition on board.

"The actions by Indian authorities violated diplomatic rights as the cargo on board belong to China. Any inspection onboard, which may have violated China's property rights and constituted spying on its military secrets, should be approved by both the UAE and China," The Chinese Global Times quoted Xu, as saying.

On September 6, the plane, which originated from UAE capital Abu Dhabi, was on its way to China and had requested permission for landing in Kolkata. The ATC asked it to identify its cargo and when the pilot said that it had arms, the plane was detained in the hangar at Kolkata airport.

Customs was asked to inspect the cargo, and the captain refused saying he had no permission. Authorities soon discovered a large amount of arms and explosives on board, and following which its ten-crew members, including the pilot were questioned for several hours.

The C-130 Hercules plane, which originated from UAE capital Abu Dhabi, was examined by the officials of the Defence Ministry and customs department and was finally allowed to take off on September 10 after the Union Government gave clearance to leave India. (ANI)